Page 70 of Playing Hard to Get

“The first night we went out,” I told her. “When she climbed on top that kid in the VIP at the club. Got a feeling she was no good and wanted proof of how bad she was.”

Her hand reached up and took mine. Pulled it away from my face. “Who else knew?” she asked as she laced her fingers through mine.

“Cael,” I told her, wincing as his name crossed my lips. I asked him not to tell, pulled him into my web of lies. He held my phone, the fake I used to record everything that went down. He pretended it was his own so I could keep my real phone close. So I could have it with me in case Vivian answered my texts.

“I wish you would have told me.”

My breath left me in a huff and I looked up to the sky, wishing all the poisonous lies could bleed from me and float up into the heavens. “Would it have made a difference if I did?”

Frankie's breath caught. She moved closer, pressing her side against me as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “I'm sorry,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I never should have believed her. I never should have thought something so horrible about you.”

When I didn't respond, she hugged me harder.

“Mitch, you're my best friend. I don't want to lose you over this. Can you ever forgive me?”

I closed my eyes and bit back the admission that sat on the tip of my tongue. That I had done something to put our friendship in jeopardy, something that didn't come close to this.

“Maybe,” I offered. Maybe, if my heart could ever heal from her betrayal. Maybe, if she could see me for who I was and what I wanted. Maybe, if she accepted the love that built me up in a world that kept trying to take me down.

“Okay,” was her whispered response. She gave me a gentle squeeze before releasing me. “I take back what I said when you stormed out.”

“Yeah? What's that?”

She looked at her fingers, clenched together, the skin turning white.

“I said you were done working for us. I shouldn't have said it, Mitch. I should have listened to you instead of blaming you. You're the best guy we have, and I'd trust you with my life any day of the week.” Frankie looked at me, her hazel eyes filled with unspent tears. “I want you back. We both do. Lee and I, we made a mistake, and we want to make it right. Will you come back?”

“I don't know, Frankie.” I pulled my eyes away from her, looked at the pile of dead cigarette butts beside me. “I think I need some time. I got some stuff I need to figure out.”

She whispered a quiet, “Okay,” before she took my hand again. “Lee’s sending your videos to Officer Linden. He called us the minute he heard about Anna. But he’s seen her admission on your video, that she lied about the rape. He’s going to book her on filing a false report, and there could be more charges after they make it through the rest of the videos.”

I nodded my understanding but didn't say a thing.

“He'll want to speak with you.”

I nodded again. “I figured as much.”

“I want to come with you. I want to support you in this. Make it up to you for how I reacted.”

“You don't have to,” I mumbled.

Frankie squeezed my hand. “I want to.”

She stood and tugged my hand, prompting me to get up. When she tried to lead me into her building, I resisted.

“I'll meet you at the station,” I told her. The hurt in her eyes bothered me, but it didn't come close to my own. I left her standing there and trudged to my car.

I called Vivian as I drove, but got another message that her voicemail was full. My stomach churned with worry I couldn’t do anything about. I hung up and called James’ wife, Erika. Just needed to hear her voice, to know that she and Samuel were okay.

We spent a half hour on the phone, and I relieved my burdens onto her shoulders—the only person other than Vivian who knew of the torment I lived with inside me. She made me promise to call her back before we said goodbye. Made me promise to find help, to make the pain go away.

Frankie, Lee, and Officer Linden were waiting for me at the station when I finally found the strength to go inside. I spent hours going over all the videos, detailing the whos, whens, and wheres of what went down on screen.

When we called it a night, Linden offered his thanks. Lee pulled me aside and apologized for his behavior. I wasn’t sure if it was his accusations he was apologizing for or what went down years ago. Either way, it was too little, too late.

“Mitch?” Frankie stopped me before I could go, my hand on the door to the police station.

“Yeah, Frankie?”